Broken Bells
by maniac's maniac
Summary: "As long as you are in this room, no matter where I am, or what era it is I will be able to hear you," Holy Roman Empire promised Italy in that room of the belfry containing instruments. "So promise me that even when I'm gone you'll still use this room."


Broken Bells

The small brunette was sweeping the almost spotless floor, nervously she felt as if eyes were pressing her back. Slowly she turned around and saw her master and very close friend. She smiled and greeted, "Good morning Holy Roman Empire, how are you?"

Holy Roman Empire flushed pink then replied, feeling awkward, "Good morning Italy, I'm fine, what about you?"

"Ve! I'm great! It's a nice day outside, do you want to take a walk later?" Italy asked innocently.

He seemed to turn even more pink as he stuttered "Y-yes that w-would be a w-wonderful idea." The thought of taking a walk with Italy made Holy Roman Empire's heart beat quickly.

Italy did a cute, but polite curtsy "Well I'll see you later."

"... Yes I guess so." He sighed and started to walk away, but he heard her start to sing.

"Mornings are the time to sing,

A song for you and me to bring,

good luck and faith for the day,

And that is how we choose to pray..."

He stopped to turn and look at Italy, she was grinning warmly, obviously enjoying this song. "You like to sing?" He wanted to know.

Italy turned to look at him, "Yes, it makes me feel close to my Grandpa, after all he taught me how to sing. I can also play a few instruments, Austria taught me."

"Really? I didn't know Austria taught anyone." Holy Roman Empire was surprised that he didn't know this about Italy.

"I love all kinds of music! I just wish I had a place to practice it. Ve." Italy frowned a bit sadly.

Holy Roman Empire thought for a moment, then grabbed Italy's hand, "Come with me."

Italy tried to resist for a moment, but just decided to let him lead her.

The two small nations came to a grand church. "Ve? Why are we at the church?" Italy asked curiously, looking up at the steeples.

Holy Roman Empire looked confidently at Italy and responded, "You'll see." He opened the large oak door to the cathedral.

Italy slightly gaped at the beautifully decorated stain glass, but Holy Roman Empire only gazed slightly at them as he lead Italy though the chapel to a plain door that she assumed to be a closet or something. He opened the door to reveal a warmly lit room. They walked into the room, Italy looked up and realized that they had entered a tower, stairs circled the walls. They climbed the stairs, and heard bells ring up above, and she realized that this tower must be a belfry.

They came to a landing and Italy's eyes became wide in surprise. The room was filled with instruments of almost every kind, strings to brass, and even a piano sat in the middle of the room. She gasped "Wow, what are all these instruments doing here?"

Holy Roman Empire smiled, "This is where they store any extra, old, or broken instruments. We can use them whenever we want, and no one ever comes here except for the bell-ringer."

Italy beamed at Holy Roman Empire, making him blush. "Ve! That's so amazing and fitting, instruments in a bell tower. Thank you, Holy Roman Empire!"

Holy Roman Empire looked away from Italy, "I-it's nothing, I just wanted to make you happy."

Italy grabbed Holy Roman Empire's hand and dragged him towards the piano, "can you play? I want to sing!"

He nodded, and just started to play a random tune. The piano was out of tune and gave the music that filled the tower a slightly erie sound, but still Italy cheerfully sang,

"...This is a song for you and me,

In a tribute for us to sing,

To last beyond time and space,

So we may remember in this place..."

From that day they spent many hours in that room, playing, singing, dancing, and they even tried to fix the broken instruments. One day Italy came to the room to find Holy Roman Empire already in it. He was siting at the piano softly pressing the keys, and singing,

"...Tougher here we dance, we sing,

Until we hear that faithful ring,

Of bells and chimes up above,

In which we will confess our love..."

Italy entered the room and applauded, "Ve! I didn't know that you wrote any songs, and I thought you didn't like to sing."

Holy Roman Empire blushed, "I wrote to for someone that I like, but I'm not very good at singing."

"Nonsense! You were great! Can I hear the rest of the song?" Italy asked eagerly.

He just sighed. "No, it's not finished yet, I had hoped to finish it before today." He looked sadly at the sheet music.

"Ve~? Why today?" Italy asked, clueless.

He paused for a moment, "Let's just say that tomorrow is a special day, and this is the last day to sing it to her." He looked at Italy regretfully.

"She must be the luckiest person in the world." Italy cheered, "but is today truly the last day?"

He nodded, "I may not see her again for a very long time, and when I see her again I don't know if she'll belong to someone else." He groaned sadly.

She stared at him, "Well if you truly love her, I would think that she would be able to wait for you to return, and by then your song must be finished, you could sing it to her then."

Holy Roman Empire looked back at her and smiled, "I guess you're right, and when I finish this song, will you be the first one to hear it?"

Italy grinned widely. "Of course! I would be glad to. Now let's go home, it's getting dark."

Italy turned to the door when Holy Roman Empire called out, "Wait, Italy!" she turned around and he was standing directly in front of her. He gulped and said, "No matter where I am, no matter what era it is, as long as you are here in this room, I will be able to hear you, so please promise me, that even when I'm gone, you'll still use it."

Italy looked shocked, "When you're gone? You won't leave! You can't!"

"Just promise me."

"... Okay fine, I promise, now let's go home." Italy grabbed Holy Roman Empire's hand and led him home.

Holy Roman Empire left the next day. Italy was left alone, and for the first few years he waited eagerly for his return, but years passed, every once in a while Italy would go to the church for hours, usually just talking, but sometimes singing, always the same song.

"...I miss you now, so far away,

But in my heart you still stay,

I await the day you come back,

For your love is the only thing I lack..."

Time passed, and gradually Italy began to visit the belfry less and less, as he did his belief of Holy Roman Empire would return still remained. Unfortunately the news of Holy Roman Empire's death reached Italy, so be dashed to the bell tower. He entered the instrument filled room and yelled into the empty room, "You lied Holy Roman Empire! You said that you would sing your song to me, you said you would come back! Now how are you going to do that! How can you sing without a voice! How can you return without a body to return in! You also said no matter when or where you are you are you would hear me, but how can you if you're dead!" He collapsed on the floor of the desolate room sobbing. "If you can hear me, if you are alive, please... please give me a sign."

He sobbed loudly, occasionally muttering to himself, or yelling to the abandoned room, until he couldn't cry anymore. A drumstick dropped to the floor loudly echoing off the stone walls, numbly surprising Italy. He looked up and before him he saw the piano and remembered the first time he came to this room. He slowly went to the piano and pressed down a key. He was pleasantly amazed that it sounded perfectly tuned, and he wondered who was taking care of the instruments, because they all looked beautiful, working, and well-kept. Italy hesitated before he started to sing,

"...Where are you now, they say you've died,

But that would mean that you have lied,

Though if you're not give me a sign,

Because I do not want to say goodbye..."

Italy heard someone applaud behind him. "That was great, Italy, but what are you doing in a place like this?"

Italy spun around and exclaimed, "Holy Roman Empire?" but who Italy saw wasn't him, though he may have resembled him. "Oh it's just you Prussia." Italy looked away disappointed, he truly thought that Holy Roman Empire would be there.

"'_Just Prussia,'_ what is that supposed to mean, don't you mean, 'My awesome lord Prussia'" Prussia bragged ignorantly.

Italy sighed. "I just thought you were someone else."

"Holy Roman Empire?"

"Yes, they say he's died, but I don't know if I should believe them."

Prussia chuckled gruffly, "I see!" Prussia reached out and put his hand on Italy's shoulder. "You love him don't you?" Italy nodded. "Then he'll always live, in here" Prussia pointed towards Italy's chest.

"He'll be in my heart?" Italy looked up at Prussia astonished on how sweet he was being.

"Of course! What else would that organ do!" Obviously not knowing, or caring about human anatomy.

Strangely Italy felt much better. Italy was smiling leaving the building. At the door of the chapel Italy turned back to Prussia and grinned widely. "Thank you, Prussia!" With that Italy ran home leaving a blush on Prussia's face.

Time passed and of course everything has changed since then, Italy grew up, and to the shock of everyone found out 'she' was in fact a boy. He became independent, perhaps with some help. He made new friends, and always tried his hardest at everything he did. But, no matter how much time passes some things must remain the same.

Italy, now taking the appearance of a young adult, looked up at a church near Germany's home, recognizing it immediately. He gazed up at a window that revealed the room he spent so many hours in, and saw something almost like a shadow. Italy figured that it was probably just the bell-ringer, but Italy was still curious if anyone was in the room, so he entered the cathedral.

Slowly he strolled up the stone stairs and was about to reach the landing when he heard a voice singing from inside,

"...Still time will pass, we may grow old,

But my love for you, it will hold,

the sun is gone, the dark has come,

So now we know that night's begun..."

Italy knew that voice, be burst into the room. "Ve~! Germany~!" He tightly hugged the German.

"Italy? What are you doing here?" Germany asked slightly surprised.

"I saw someone in the window! Was that you? Why are you here anyway? I thought no one knew about this place." Italy replied.

"A shadow? Well that wasn't me, I just got here, I thought I heard music coming from this room, so I came to check it out." Germany answered.

"Germany, what were you singing?" Italy asked looking up at Germany's face.

Germany indicated towards some sheet music siting on the piano. "That was what I was singing, it was just siting there. What is with this room anyway?" They looked around the room. All the instruments were broken, rusted, and damaged beyond repair.

Italy looked sadly across the room. "They all broke, looks like they'll never work again. Ve."

"You know this place?" Germany asked.

"... Yes, I used to play here when I was a child, with my closest friend..." Italy looked around thinking. "Who do you think I saw, and who did you hear?" Italy observed the dusty, old room.

Germany sighed, "It was probably just the bell-ringer, this is a belfry after all. Though I haven't seen anyone."

"Do you think he's still here?"

"Probably"

"Then let's go see him!" Italy exclaimed grabbing Germany's hand.

Tougher they dashed up the stairs to the top of the bell tower. But, when they came to the landing no one was there. "That's strange, he couldn't have left without us seeing, that is the only staircase in here." Germany reasoned.

Italy was studying the bell and the room carefully then said, "This bell is broken as well, and no one has been here for many years." He looked back at Germany, "Isn't that strange?"

Germany nodded, "I wonder who was here, I swear I heard music in here, but everything is defective, you saw someone in here, but no one has been here for years... Oh well, let's go to my place, we probably won't figure anything out anyway, and we have no reason to stay here. Let's go Italy."

Italy shook his head in agreement and dashed out of the room. They came to the landing of instruments and Germany looked at the sheet music. He flipped though the pages and muttered to himself, "It's not complete..." he pressed the delicate keys of the piano and nodded, satisfied with the sound of perfectly tuned strings that no one else could hear.

"...Broken bells, piano strings,

In a room that no longer sings,

Mysterious men seen up above,

But you, Italy, I will forever love."

Finally the song felt complete, and Holy Roman Empire smiled.

**Author's note: Long One-shot is long! This took me 3 days to write (hey I'm slow!) and it's 5 pages long. I called Italy 'she' or 'her' for about half of the story because everyone, including Holy Roman Empire thought Italy was a girl, but I changed that once it was just all about Italy, because obviously he knew he was a male, I also did that because indicating Holy Roman Empire as 'he' or 'him' takes up too many letters and takes too long to write. XD (It's a difference of about 12-13 letters) Please read and review my stuff. Oh by the way if you want to know the lyrics of Holy Roman Empire's song to Italy just look for all the times they sing and squash them tougher. (They are all singing the same song)  
**


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